The number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea for plastic surgery keeps rising.

Hong Kong daily Mingpao on Monday said 650 Chinese had cosmetic surgery in 51 plastic surgery clinics in Seoul's upscale Gangnam district in 2009, a 4.7-fold increase year-on-year.

The clinics have developed tour programs in collaboration with travel agencies to attract Chinese customers, with special packages for the Lunar New Year, and many hired translators to help customers, the daily said.

Global News, a sister newspaper of China's official People's Daily, quoted a Korean statistic that 50,000 foreigners visited Korea for cosmetic surgery last year. Chinese reportedly accounted for the largest portion. Chinese women tend to have work done to make their chin look smaller and V-shaped, the paper added.

As the number increased, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul is warning Chinese tourists of the possible medical risks and disputes, the Mingpao said.

The embassy is advising them to sign a contract with clinics before undergoing surgery, saying each Korean plastic surgery clinic has a different quality level and warning visitors not to be blinded by the allure of their ads.